Remembrance
by PersephoneRosamunde
Summary: After years as a POW, America is finally free to return home. However, the international superpower is missing one major thing: his memories. In order to return to his previous life, Alfred must now work to regain his memories and return to normal. Meanwhile, his friends and family struggle to welcome Alfred back, while trying not to overwhelm him with moments from the past. AmeBel
1. Have You Forgotten?

**Author's Note: Just to be clear, there is mention of modern warfare and conflicts, particularly those in the Middle Eastern regions and dealing with terrorist organizations. While everything in this is completely fictitious, please keep comments about how I shouldn't write about "real" things with Hetalia characters. This story is meant to be a form of entertainment, not a political statement.**

 **The way I portray characters might seem a bit odd, but as everyone sees these characters differently this is to be expected, so I apologize if some of those who are present in this story are not what you imagine them to be.**

 **This is mostly a followup to the series "Sparks Fly", however can be read alone as those scenes will likely be featured in flashbacks here.**

 **Finally, I do not own these characters.**

* * *

 **Have You Forgotten?**

He was struck by an instant feeling of peace.

It was the feeling he longed for every day, from the moment he was forced from his sleep to the point he reached the silent calm once more. The daily bouts of torture was all he knew. He no longer knew his own thoughts; rarely could he hear that over the screams. Each day the monsters aroused him from his sleep, covered his head with a cloth bag, only to remove it once they reached the room. He never knew how he returned to his cell, he assumed he was dragged there sometime after he finally passed out from the pain forced upon him.

Sometimes he suspected their games continued long after he lost consciousness. He had no idea why he was even still alive; as long as he'd been there he'd seen stronger men than him drop in a few hours. He'd been forced to watch men break down to beg for their lives, while others took the pain in silence until their dying breath.

And then there was her. He didn't know who she was, or if she was even real. He suspected that perhaps he knew her before he'd been brought to this hell, a distant memory that his time in the prison had erased. All he knew was that she was beautiful. He knew at one point he had heard her voice, she called out to him but it was a sound he had long since forgotten. But he could still feel her touch, and the moment the calmness closed around him, he was once again in the arms of his angel.

* * *

"It is not like we could just knock on the front door."

"We have to be careful in how we do this, there is no room for mistakes. Human lives are at stake."

"Does that mean we cannot be nuking them?"

"Why would you even suggest that?"

"We have the materials to do so without risking more lives."

"That idea is preposterous and would get everyone killed before we could even find them!"

Russia stared calmly at the furious Brit as the rest of their group watched in exasperated silence.

"It's out of the question," England snapped, finally sitting down with a huff.

"It would be rid of the problem, da?" Russia responded after a moment. "At this point the mission is a body recovery. QS does not hold prisoners long."

"We are not bombing the QS base," Germany interrupted. "We will take prisoners once we infiltrate the complex, do not shoot unless they fire first." Germany looked directly at Russia as he spoke. "England, France, your job is to locate the ambassadors. Russia and I will lead the troops in taking down the leaders. Is that clear?"

"What about me?"

The four nations jumped slightly, turning to their fifth member. He hugged his white bear to his chest, frowning slightly at being forgotten. Everyone's memory of him had improved in the past few years, but there were still moments like this that the shy nation found he was very much ignored.

"Canada…you will go with England and France. Finding the ambassadors is the priority of this mission. We will depart at 2200 hours. We will meet our troops here in two hours. Is everything in this mission clear?"

The belligerent blond earned affirmative nods from the other nations.

"Dismissed."

The atmosphere of the room instantly relaxed as he turned on his heel and walked out, muttering about calling to check on his brother and check in with Italy. Russia waited for the other three to get up and leave before taking out his phone.

He smiled when he heard his older sister answer.

"Katyusha, how are you?"

"Vanya!" The relief was clear in her voice. "It is good to hear from you! Are you still in Iraq? What is going on? When will you be able to return home?"

"I will call you tomorrow to tell you." Ivan smiled when he heard children giggle in the background. "You are with Natalya?"

"Yes, Nikolai and Amelia were ill a few days ago, she needed help. They are better now though. Natalya had to go meet with…America's boss about a few things."

"She is still trying to stand in for him?"

"Canada does most of the work when he's able, but Natalya wants to help… she is afraid Matthew will 'mess things up' as she puts it. She insists that Alfred ordered everything a certain way and Matthew doesn't quite understand that…"

"He is doing the best he can, but he has his own nation as well. So does she."

"She gets her work done, I have no idea how. These two are so much like him…"

Ivan leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "When they are old enough they can take over for Alfred. Perhaps that is being why they were born in the first place."

"I'm worried about Natalya… I made her stay in bed today. I think she got sick as well."

Russia frowned. "Natalya does not normally get ill."

"Is that Uncle Vanya?" a muffled voice asked. There was a moment of shuffling before Amelia was on the line. "Hi Uncle Vanya!"

Ivan chuckled. " _Privet_ , Amelia. Are you behaving?"

"I always behave! Aunt Kat brought us to the park! Nik and I were chasing the ducks!" she giggled. "He almost got bit and Aunt Nat made us stop though."

"You should be nice to the ducks, _da_?"

"Yeah, yeah, are you gonna come see us soon, Uncle Vanya?!"

Ivan smiled, realizing how much the young girl was like her father. "I will be coming as soon as I can to see you."

"Good! Nik and I can show you our school! Mama made sure we were in the same class since Nik is so shy! And she says if I don't get into any more fights I can join ballet _and_ softball!"

"You have been getting into fights?" Ivan frowned. "Amelia, why are you fighting in school? You should be learning, da?"

"But it's boring and these guys were picking on Nikolai so I beat 'em up! Mama and Uncle Mattie say Daddy was always the hero! So I gotta be a hero too!"

"We will be having a talk when I come visit, da?" Ivan said with a sigh. "Why don't you let me say hello to Nikolai?"

"Okay! Bye bye, Uncle Vanya!"

"Goodbye, Amelia."

A moment later a soft voice came on the line.

"Hello, Uncle Vanya."

"Hello, Nikolai. Aunt Kat said you and Amelia were sick?"

"We're both better now. Mama is sick though. I think Aunt Kat is worried."

"Your mother will be better soon."

"Amy says you'll come visit us soon. You and Aunt Kat will make sure mama gets better right?"

"Aunt Kat will take good care of all of you until I can get there. Uncle Mattie will probably visit you soon too, how about that?"

"Will you? Mama wants to see you. You haven't come to visit us since Christmas."

"I am sorry, Nikolai. I have been busy with work. After this I will come see you."

"You'll be careful right?"

"I am always careful, _da_."

"Are Uncle Mattie and Uncle Artie and Francis with you?"

"They are."

"Are they gonna come visit, too?"

"If they are not busy I am sure they would. I will tell them you asked."

"Aunt Kat wants to talk to you again. I'm giving her the phone. Goodbye, Uncle Vanya."

"Goodbye. I will be seeing you soon."

Katyusha took the phone back. "Vanya, are you still there?"

" _Da_. I should be getting ready soon."

"Please be careful…where you are that's not too far from…"

Ivan sighed. "I know. We will be careful. Germany is in charge of things. He usually knows what he is doing."

"You still need to be careful. All of you."

"Everything will be fine. I will call you later once everything is calm."

"Call as soon as you can. No matter the time. Don't worry about waking me up."

"Yes, sestra. I have to be going now."

"I know. Goodbye, Vanya."

"Goodbye."

With a sigh Ivan ended the call and pocketed his phone.

"How are the kids?" Canada quietly asked.

Ivan glanced up, having not heard the quiet nation return. "They are well. They want to see us, I am going to try going after this mission."

"I should probably go too and make sure everything is going okay…" Mattie smiled sadly. "It would be nice to see Amelia and Nikolai too. They turn five soon. It's hard to believe so much time has passed, eh?"

Russia nodded in agreement. "I will be needing to check on Natalya."

Canada started to respond when Russia stood up and walked out. The quiet nation sighed and looked down at his pet.

"Let's go get ready, Kumakiki."

"Hungry."

"You just ate."

"Hungry."

Canada groaned. "Fine. I'll feed you before I leave. But no more chewing on my boots, got it?"

* * *

"If you cannot do this mission get out of it, Arthur."

England ignored his longtime lover as he continued gathering his clothing from around their shared room.

"No one will think less of you, but it's just another mission. I don't understand why you're so worked up."

Arthur stopped, staring blankly at the wall. "Have you forgotten?"

For a moment Francis was silent. "This is about Amerique."

"Alfred. He was Alfred too. You remember, Alfred, my brother?!"

"I know, Arthur. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because no one else realizes…. no one realizes how close we are to where he was gone…after the mission we could easily go and….at least find some sign…"

England tensed for a moment as a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"His nation is still strong, but now is not the time to worry about him. We need to worry about each other and our people, Arthur."

Francis immediately wound his arms around Arthur as the younger nation turned into him. England sighed, leaning his head against France's chest.

"I won't admit you're right."

" _Oui_ , I know," France chuckled.

"Let's get this over with, Frog, so I can go back to not seeing your bloody face every day," England snapped, pushing the other away and turning to change into his uniform.

With a smirk, France moved to his side of the room to prepare himself. "Of course, mon amour.

* * *

The five nations gathered around a small radio that was turned down to the point that they could just barely hear. They stood at the edge of the walled city, surrounded by their mixed troops, carefully selected solely for the purpose of this mission.

"There is nothing but static," England muttered, turning the switch once more. "Could they know we're coming?"

"Scouts earlier said they had no problem with getting into their system," France responded. "Perhaps they were caught."

"They were too busy torturing a prisoner earlier," Germany informed them. "They have no idea we're here. They did not even have guards posted, our scouts reported that they were all in the same room. Something major happened earlier but they have no idea what, earlier reports say the same thing. Every few days all of them will gather in one room and nothing is heard but the screams of tortured prisoners."

"Could they have already killed the ambassadors?" Canada asked.

Germany shook his head. "They were in a separate prisoner chamber. They never kill prisoners before sending out media to let the world know who they have. Arthur, Francis, Matthew, you three will be in charge of infiltrating the prison complex and seeing that we safely retrieve the ambassadors. Ivan and I will lead troops sweeping the rest of the complex to capture their leaders. Do not stray from the mission. Do not do anything that will cause them to suspect what we are. If you are fatally shot, do not keep going no matter what. This group cannot know anything about us."

France's hand slowly rose to clutch the rosary at his neck, muttering a short prayer of protection.

Germany straightened and mad a motion to the troops. "Keep in contact. We are to check in every five minutes, even if you are down. We are all old enough to know how this works. We've done this before. It will be a simple sweep in and leave. Move out."

Canada moved closer to his former guardians, who for once were waiting in companionable silence rather than arguing. He watched Russia solemnly move next to Germany, wearing his usual smile. Germany signaled the mixed troops behind them, and the invasion began.

The first twenty minutes were chaos.

The five nations found themselves separated from each other. Germany and Russia had diverged from the other three early on, but Germany soon realized the Russian was no longer by his side. Unable to waste time, he continued until he reached central room of the bunker. Ignoring the falling men around him and sound of gunfire in his ears, Germany raised his leg to kick open the door. He raised his gun, only to lower it a moment later.

At the same moment, a large man with a familiar stained white scarf entered the other entrance. Aside from decaying bodies littering the floor, the room was empty.

On the other side of the complex, France fell back against a wall to avoid flying bullets. He cursed as one of his soldiers failed to move in time, his life over before his body hit the floor. Shouting orders he himself could barely understand, France pushed forward, slowing only to allow his men to round up the few insurgents who had ceased to fire. France stood back as one of his men took control, shouting at their enemies to unlock the cell beside Francis.

The young man, Francis used the term loosely in his mind as he looked to be barely a teen, rushed over to frantically unlock the cell. France ordered him restrained as he led a small number of men into the holding cell. Three pairs of eyes looked up, and France sighed in relief and pressed a button on his radio.

"Three Dwarves safe and alive," France reported.

"Their leaders escaped," Ludwig's voice replied. "Everyone else, report in."

"Four Dwarves located, in need of serious medical attention," Matthew responded. "Twenty-four total prisoners. East end is secured."

"West end secured," France added.

The three cringed as a gunshot echoed through their earpieces.

"North end secured," Russia stated, a wide smile evident in his voice.

"Medics and retrieval teams move in," Ludwig ordered. "General Kirkland, report."

The nations waited for a moment in anticipation. After a moment of silence, Ludwig's voice rang out again.

"General Kirkland, report."

France looked up as Canada moved into his line of sight as static was the only noise they could hear.

"General Kirkland, do you copy?"

Around them the human soldiers began rounding up the prisoners, whilst additional bodies moved in to begin clearing out the base. Medics rushed towards the ambassadors. Seconds seemed to tick by like hours, and the usually patient nations began to fidget one by one.

"Arthur?" Francis said quietly.

Finally, over the static they could just barely hear Arthur's shaky voice. "Room S4. France, Germany, Russia, Canada…the four of you come immediately and alone."


	2. Survivor

**AN: Sorry for delay in updating, I will try to update more often from now on. This is the last chapter before major AmeBel, I promise! ~Loona**

* * *

 **Survivor**

 _He was closer to her than he had been in such a long time. He had to reach her. He had to know who she was. He had to know her face. He needed to find out who his angel was. He had to know, and she was so close…._

 _With a shaking hand he reached out to run fingers through her long, pale hair. His fingers slipped through her as if she had never been there at all. He drew his hand back, his heart sinking lower as he slipped into the dark._

* * *

To say the Brit's mind was preoccupied was an understatement. The earpiece buzzed with excitement as their targets were located. Just as he prepared his own answer, Arthur spotted an individual fleeing up ahead. He moved after them, nearly colliding with the door that was closed in his face. Taking a step back, Arthur braced himself before throwing his body against the door.

The man stood in the middle of the room, his body purposefully blocking something against the wall behind him. He shouted at Arthur in his own tongue, words the Brit didn't care to hear. With his gun raised he motioned for the man to stand aside.

The man's eyes darted around the room. He looked for anything he could claim against the nation who'd trapped him. Finding nothing, he sounded a battle cry and rushed forward. With fluidity he'd learned long ago, Arthur stepped aside and slammed the butt of his gun against the man's head. Aside from the thud of a body hitting the floor, the room fell silent.

Arthur sighed, preparing to respond to Germany's demand for a response when he raised his head to further examine the room.

Behind where the man had just stood hung a body. His hands supported his frame, iron cuffs around his wrists attached to a chain that dangled from the ceiling. More chains were clamped around his ankles, visible through tattered rags made unrecognizable with dirt and dark stains from dried blood. Their head was slumped forward in a way that seemed humanly impossible. Approaching with caution, England expected the prisoner to be dead. He reached forward, preparing himself for the worst as he cupped their chin and tilted their face up.

Taking in a sharp breath, England's fingers trailed down, searching desperately for a pulse. Feeling the soft beat of a heart and noting the slight rise and fall of his chest, England gently released the young man and stepped away.

Barely trusting his own voice, England reached up to press the button on his ear piece. "Room S4. France, Germany, Russia, Canada….the four of you come immediately and alone."

Time stood still as Arthur knelt before the young man that would always be a little brother to him. He took out a handkerchief and wiped some of the dirt and blood from his face.

"Don't you dare die on me now, Alfred. You hear me?"

It felt like an eternity had passed before the four additional soldiers rushed into the room. Francis was the first, and he stopped short the moment he caught sight of the scene before him. The other three were close behind, nearly toppling over the Frenchman as they entered the room. There was a moment of silent shock before the oft forgotten Canadian pushed past them.

"Alfred!" Matthew cried out, pushing past Francis to join England before their new find.

"Is he alive?" Ludwig asked.

Arthur turned to watch the brothers. "He's breathing."

"We need to get him out of here," Francis said.

"Canada and I can carry him, _da_?" Ivan stepped forward and moved towards Alfred.

"He's hurt," Canada whispered.

"We need to get out of here before anyone else sees. He's a nation, he'll heal," Ludwig decided.

"It would be best if this was kept quiet until we figure out why he is here, _oui_?"

Ludwig nodded, murmuring into his headset to clear the base. "Francis is correct. Only immediate relations and America's boss will be informed until more details are known."

"Then we should be getting out of here before others find us," Ivan replied.

Matthew flinched as the Russian reached up to break the chains around America and moved to stand with Alfred limp against his chest. Canada rose and stepped back , his eyes never leaving his brother's face.

"Let us be going back to base, _da_?" Russia asked with a smile.

Before the others could reply he strode out the door.

"Go," Ludwig commanded the others. "I will stay here to finish the mission."

With a nod, Francis ushered Arthur and Matthew towards the door. " _Merci, mon ami_. Stay safe."

* * *

 _Arthur had been the first person to know things were not right. The letter had come unexpectedly. The personification of the country of England had just sat down for his morning tea when he heard the knock. He glanced at the clock, unsure who, besides the Frenchman already sitting in his kitchen sipping tea, would arrive at this time of the morning. When he opened the door, the unfamiliar American soldiers standing on the doorstep only fueled his confusion._

" _We're here to speak with Mr. Arthur Kirkland?" the first man told him._

" _I am Arthur Kirkland. Who might you be?" Arthur asked._

" _May we enter, Mr. Kirkland?"_

 _Arthur stepped aside, letting the two men step into the entryway and shutting the door behind them. A cold feeling washed over him as he caught sight of the white envelope in the second man's hands. Last time a letter like that had been hand delivered from Alfred was shortly following the attack that drove the younger nation to join the efforts of World War II. His adopted brother would not send messages by courier if the matter was not regarding a dire situation._

" _What's this about?" Arthur demanded._

"Mon ami _, is everything alright?" Francis asked, watching the scene from the doorway._

 _Unable to answer, Arthur looked to the two uniformed men in front of him. The men shared a look and the first man nodded._

 _The second took a step forward and presented Arthur the envelope. The two men gave him a single moment to break the seal, one Arthur noted as unfamiliar. His eyes scanned over the words, coldly typed on the paper._

 **Dear Mr. Kirkland,**

 **The United States Secretary of War regrets to inform you that your brother Alfred F. Jones has been declared missing in action. Further details will be forwarded to you as they become available.**

" _Communication was lost during a mission," the first explained. "He failed to return to base. You will receive a phone call later today from General Anderson regarding details on Captain Jones' status."_

" _I was not aware that he was currently serving," Arthur whispered._

 _With a frown, Francis crossed the room and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder._

" _He had only been at the base a few weeks, sir," the second man informed them. "He was to return home immediately after this mission."_

" _Has his wife been informed?" Francis asked._

" _Mr. Kirkland is listed as first of kin," the first man spoke. "I was unaware of Captain Jones' marital status."_

" _He wanted me to be the one to tell her," Arthur explained. "Instead of a stranger. Thank you for informing me of this. Is anyone searching for him?"_

" _The general has ordered several men to fly search patterns," the first man answered. "Unfortunately it is believed that his plane went down somewhere in the Zagros Mountains. We have been unsuccessful in attempts to send search crews into that area for multiple reasons I am unable to openly discuss."_

" _Went down?" Arthur crossed his arms. "Alfred wouldn't have crashed."_

" _I'm sorry, sir, but that is all that we know and are able to disclose."_

" _Of course. Well you should get back to doing your job and find him." Arthur pulled away from Francis and disappeared further into the house._

 _Francis gave the men an apologetic look. "_ Desole _, usually Alfred tells us when he is deployed. This is rather unexpected for Arthur."_

 _The two men nodded in understanding. After seeing them out, Francis searched the house for the Brit. When he found him, Arthur was in his study, hanging up his phone in aggravation. France lightly knocked on the door, earning Arthur's attention._

" _I can't get through to the queen," Arthur complained. "I need to go find him. I need to…"_

" _I will go with you."_

" _You don't have to."_

"Non _. But I cannot let you go alone,_ mon ami _."_

" _You are not going with me, you bloody frog," Arthur snapped._

" _Aren't I? You think I would ever let you go alone? And someone needs to be with you when you tell…her…"_

 _Arthur stood and turned away. "I know. I need to be on the next flight to DC. I don't want to tell her but…"_

" _She needs to know."_

 _Arthur glanced up at France. "I'm going to kill that idiot. The moment I find him I am going to strangle him."_

* * *

"He won't wake up. Why won't he wake up?"

"He cannot get the medical treatment he needs here. He needs to be transferred to a more advanced medical facility, Mr. Kirkland."

"What do you mean? Why can't you do anything?"

"We are doing all we can. We do not have the capability of fully assessing his injuries, and due to his status as a nation, he will need to be flown elsewhere to a doctor who specializes in treatment of your kind."

"My kind?" England shouted. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Arthur, he's only trying to help," Matthew murmured. "Maybe going back to America will help Alfred heal better."

"They need to just help him!"

"That is enough, Arthur," Francis said, pulling the infuriated man into his arms. "You and Matthieu should go with him. I will stay behind with Ludwig and Ivan to complete the mission. Then we will meet with the rest of the G8 nations in America's capital to discuss these developments."

"This was supposed to be kept silent!" Arthur snapped.

"The others might be able to help us get to the bottom of this, Arthur. They would not like us keeping things from them. They are our allies and friends, as well as Alfred's."

Arthur roughly pushed him away and stormed out. Francis sighed and looked over to Canada.

"Mon petit, why don't you go back to Alfred's room and sit with him? I will make the arrangements."

With a sigh, Matthew nodded and stepped back into the well-guarded room.

"I will be going to visit _sestra_ before joining everyone at the meeting," Russia said.

"Have you told her anything?"

"This is something meant for being in person, _da_? I will be seeing you, Francis."

Relaxing slightly at the leave of the Russian man, the doctor looked up from his clipboard and focused on Francis. "If you will follow me, Mr. Bonnefoy, I will assist you in making those arrangements."

* * *

The knocking on the door startled Natalya from her thoughts. She frowned at the lateness of the hour, realizing that the two young children laying in the middle of the living room floor had long since fallen asleep. The menu for the movie they had been watching repeated itself over and over again in the darkened room. A hand moved down to her thigh as she checked for her knife before getting up, only to realize Katyusha was already opening the door.

"Little brother," the older sister said, stepping back to let him enter. "We were not expecting you yet."

"Something has happened."

"The others…?"

"Are on their way here with an additional passenger," Ivan finished.

Before Katyusha could ask more, Ivan looked past her locking eyes with Natalya.

"They found Alfred."

"Alfred?" Natalya moved forward. "My Alfred?"

" _Da_."

"Where is he? I want to see him. Now."

"They are on their way back with him. His brothers are with him."

Natalya stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I do not think you should see him."

"Ivan, now is not the time for that," Katyusha interrupted. "When will they be here? How soon will he come home?

"He is unconscious. Natalya does not need to see him."

"Where is he?" Natalya asked.

"He will be taken to the hospital at the military base when they arrive. The doctors there are preparing for him now."

"Sestra, watch the children," Natalya murmured, picking up her jacket and moving past her siblings.

"Natalya, where—"

"I will see my Alfred. Take me to him."


	3. Traveling Soldier

**AN: Two apologies. First, I am sorry this chapter seems a bit rushed. I had trouble finding a happy medium between getting to the point and putting in the little details. Second, I fully intended to post this months ago however September quickly became the month from hell and October didn't start off much better. But life is back on track and going full steam ahead with many positive changes, so I fully intend to pick this fanfic (as well as the other one people have been messaging me about) back up!**

 **Happy Holidays! : )**

 **~Loona**

* * *

 **Traveling Soldier**

He didn't know what was going on. The world was dark. His angel was gone. He saw nothing, only felt and on occasion he heard voices. They were distant, saying words and things he did not understand. He felt he should recognize them, they weren't the demons he'd been tortured by since he could remember. They weren't the faceless demons that woke him each day.

They weren't trying to wake him at all. He found it odd, but was relieved by the peace. He felt warm, not from the harsh desert heat but from a sense of security. Although he was not ready to awaken he knew he would not open his eyes to the prison but somewhere far from the dangers of his captors. He felt no pain, though the numbness was gone.

With the renewed hope that maybe he had found the place he truly belonged, he let the steady beeping lull him to sleep.

* * *

It was not uncommon for Natalya to remain silent for long periods of time. However, in the centuries of knowing his younger sister, Ivan knew that her silence was not always the same. More often than not, it was a result of either racing thoughts or simply the young woman zoning out to think of nothing. But today was different.

Natalya stared out the window, watching the passing landscape but not seeming to see anything in front of her. Her expression was blank, and her face paler with every passing moment.

"We are almost being there, Natalya. Arthur sent me a message that they had arrived just after I got to your home. We should be able to go straight to his room, da?"

If she heard him, Natalya made no response. Frowning, Ivan remained silent for the remainder of the drive.

* * *

" _I do not want to do this now, Alfred wanted a say," Natalya snapped._

 _Ukraine sighed, nearing tears as she closed the catalogue. "Sestra, I know, but you cannot wait, you should be planning now. I know Alfred wanted to be a part of it, but…you don't know if he'll be back in time."_

" _He promised. Alfred does not break promises. It is…unheroic as he says."_

 _Ignoring her sister's look of pity, Natalya closed her laptop and set it aside. "Anyway, I have always wanted children. I know exactly what I am wanting and needing. Having Alfred here when I decide on things for the child is merely to make him feel like he has a say in things."_

" _Poor Alfred had no idea what he was getting into with you."_

" _He knew exactly what he was getting into long before he married me."_

" _You should at least let him have some say, I'm sure he'll want the child to be—"_

 _A firm knock on the door interrupted Katyusha's response. With a frown, Natalya quickly got up and made her way to the door. Her heart started racing as she looked through the window and quickly opened the door._

" _Arthur, Francis, what are you doing here?"_

 _Arthur nodded his head, avoiding her eyes. "May we come in, Natalya?"_

 _Stepping aside, Natalya beckoned the duo into the living room where her sister waited._

" _Bonjour, Katyusha, you are looking lovely as ever," Francis greeted, though the sisters noticed his words did not seem as cheerful as usual and both men seemed as if they had the weight of the world on their shoulders._

" _You flatter me, Francis. It is a pleasant surprise to see you, Natalya and I were just starting to look over things for the baby."_

" _The baby? Of course," Arthur replied. "Everything is well I hope?"_

" _It is Alfred, isn't it?" Natalya asked. "Something happened."_

 _With a nod, Arthur pulled out the letter that had been delivered to him several hours before. He handed the letter to the Belarusian before stepping back to allow her sister to move towards her._

" _He's…missing, Natalya. Francis and I will be going, along with a few others, to lead a team to search for him. As a nation he is a person of utmost importance and we will find him."_

" _No, he said he was not doing anything dangerous. He said it was merely politics."_

" _He did not want you to worry," Francis assured her._

 _Natalya sat on the couch, staring at the letter in her hands. "They know nothing? They do not even know if he is alive?"_

" _We will tell as soon as we find out, Natalya, but they could not give us information for fear it would be intercepted."_

 _Katyusha reclaimed her seat on the couch beside her sister. "Alfred will be alright. There is nothing to worry about. He will be back home soon, and you can yell at him for being an idiot."_

" _Alfred did not want you to worry," Arthur told her. "This is probably nothing, for all we know he wandered off, he's done that before. We'll get this sorted out, Natalya."_

"Oui _," France agreed, "and he will be back in your arms the moment we find him. This is just…a misunderstanding we are sure."_

" _We do have a flight leaving in just a few hours. If you should need anything, do not hesitate to contact us, or Matthew. We can be back here within a day if anything happens."_

 _Natalya nodded, finally looking up at him._

" _And we will let you know the moment we find him. We'll have him call you himself and beg for your forgiveness at his immaturity."_

" _Thank you both. We will wait to hear from you," Katyusha told them, gently patting Natalya's hair._

 _The two men nodded and turned to leave._

" _Wait," Natalya called. "Thank you, for telling me what was going on."_

" _Alfred gave very specific instructions on how to handle situations like this," Arthur said. "Don't worry, Natalya. He'll be home soon."_

* * *

"Natalya?"

A hand on her arm jolted Natalya from the recesses of her mind. With a startled look, she turned to her brother.

"We are here," he told her.

Natalya stared at him a moment, as if his words made no sense to her. As soon as his words sunk in she threw open the door and broke into a run.

* * *

" _You should have been back by now."_

" _I know, doll, I'm sorry."_

" _I do not want an apology. I want you on the next flight home."_

 _She could hear a sigh from the other end of the line. "I'll see what I can do, Nat… I got caught up in some…paperwork."_

" _Paperwork? That is all? You are not…being a hero?"_

" _Don't worry. Everything will be alright."_

" _That did not answer my question."_

" _Natalya, please, just drop it. I gotta get back to things soon."_

" _You are hiding something and I want to know why."_

" _You have nothing to worry about, Nat."_

" _There had better not be a mark on you when you get back to me."_

 _Natalya relaxed slightly as he heard him chuckle._

" _Not a scratch," he agreed. "You can check me over as long as you want once I'm home. I should go, it's late over there."_

" _It is not that late."_

" _I'll call you later, about the time you wake up okay? I should be done with things by then."_

" _I am supposed to sleep without my hero here to protect me?"_

" _I'll be home soon, Nat. I promise. I gotta go now. I'll talk to ya later."_

" _Fine. I will talk to you later, Alfred."_

" _Hey, come on, Nattie, you know I hate working like this, especially away from you."_

" _Then come and do your 'paperwork' here."_

" _I would if I could. Can you at least smile for me before I go?"_

" _I'm smiling."_

" _No you're not. Come on, baby."_

" _Do not call me that," she snapped._

" _One smile before I let you go to sleep?"_

" _You are thousands of miles away, how should you know if I am smiling or not?"_

" _I can hear it in your voice."_

 _Natalya shook her head, unable to stop the small smile from forming. "I am smiling, Alfred. Now get back to work so you can come home."_

" _I'll call you in the morning. Love you, Nat."_

" _I love you too. Stay safe."_

" _Always. Love you."_

 _Once he hung up Natalya lowered her phone and set it on the nightstand beside her, double checking that she had the ringtone set at the highest volume. She switched off the light and burrowed under the covers, his pillow hugged tightly to her chest._

 _Morning would come, but her phone would not ring._

* * *

"There was some internal bleeding. He had several bones which had been broken and allowed to heal improperly. Those were re-broken and set properly. They should heal within a couple weeks, possibly sooner given the recovery abilities of your kind."

Arthur and Matthew barely listened to the doctor as he continued a detailed description of some of the injuries their brother had sustained. They had barely been back in his country a day, and had only just gotten to see him after he was rushed into surgery.

"I will say this," the doctor continued. "If he were not your kind, he would have been dead long ago. Even with your healing abilities, the fact he survived what he was put through physically is a miracle."

"When will he wake up?" Arthur asked, finally turning his focus to the human man.

"We aren't sure. He could wake up today, or it could be a few weeks. There's no way to know for sure. Right now we just wait. His vitals have returned to normal, we'll be keeping a close eye on him."

"Thank you."

With a nod, the doctor turned on his heel and walked out.

Canada moved to sit on the edge of the windowsill. "He'll be better now, won't he, Arthur? Now that he's back in his own nation, he'll heal a lot faster."

"I don't know."

The two fell silent, listening to the steady pulse of the machines. Outside the room nurses busied themselves with other patients. Every so often visitors would walk by, oblivious to the nations in the darkened room.

"Natalya!"

Running footsteps moved closer and closer, suddenly coming to a stop outside the room. The young woman stood in the doorway a moment, her eyes locked on the man lying in the bed. A moment later Ivan appeared behind her, giving her a slight nudge that caused her to move further into the room. Her expression remained blank as she stepped up to the foot of the hospital bed.

Arthur and Matthew exchanged a look before quietly moving past her to join Ivan in the hall.

"She wanted to see him," Ivan stated.

"She has a right to," Arthur replied. "How are the children?"

"They were sleeping. Kat is watching them. How is Alfred?"

"He made it through the operations when we got here. The doctors said he flat lined a couple times, but…now we're just waiting for him to wake up."

Ivan nodded, glancing into the room to see his sister hadn't moved.

"Francis had to meet with his boss in Paris," Arthur said. "But once he gets here we'll be rotating, just in case Alfred wakes up. We don't want him to wake up alone."

"I will help if I can, da?"

Matthew smiled. "Thank you, Ivan."

Natalya suddenly joined them, startling the three men. "I wish to go home."

"Already?" Ivan asked.

She nodded, moving between them and towards the door leading out of the unit.

"She seems upset," Canada whispered.

"Da…. I have to go. Let me know what you work out with babysitting America."

"Don't let him hear you say that."

"What else would you consider what we're doing?" Arthur asked. "Alfred always was like a child. Ivan, get Natalya home safely. She should be with the children right now."

Giving them his usual smile, Ivan bid the two goodbye and followed his sister out to the car.

* * *

Natalya visited the hospital daily, though she never stayed for long and she never moved closer than she had on the first day. Arthur, Matthew, or even her own brother would give tell her what was happening, usually just repeating medical spiels that Natalya did not care to hear. In her mind, that was not her Alfred.

The man in the bed was bruised and beaten. He was weak and unresponsive. His eyes were always closed, not alight with the over exuberance he always displayed. He wouldn't smile, his expression remained blank.

And soon, very soon, she would return home from visiting this stranger in the hospital to find her own Alfred alive and well at home. The last several years will have been a bad dream, and he would be playing in the backyard with the children like a normal parent. The four of them would cuddle on the couch and watch those ridiculous cartoons Alfred still enjoyed. They would be a happy family, just like they'd planned.

Though Natalya knew Alfred would have gone along with whatever she planned, when it came to the twins, she needed him. Although it was clear they were her children as well, there were times the mischievous pair were clearly the offspring of the self-proclaimed hero. Amelia in particular could arguably be an exact copy of the American with her personality. She had her father's eyes and his shade of blonde, but looked exactly as Natalya had as a child. Nikolai resembled a younger America, even Arthur couldn't believe the resemblance. Like his sister, only his hair and eyes varied.

It was a few weeks after Alfred had returned to his own nation when Natalya sat surrounded by pamphlets and forms. It was only a few months before school would begin again, and the twins would finally be old enough for kindergarten. While they were already enrolled in preschool, the same school Alfred had favored when the subject of their schooling came up long before he had been called away. Unfortunately, Natalya had long since forgotten the elementary school Alfred had demanded any child they had attend. She had ruled several out already, though even she had overestimated the number of schools in the area that were open for the twins to attend.

She groaned, resting her head on the table as she heard a soft knock on the door. Getting up she opened the door, uncertain as she stood back to let Matthew enter. While she relaxed slightly when he smiled, she couldn't help but worry about why he had come unannounced. It wasn't like Matthew to show up without warning. In fact other than her brother and sister, Alfred had been the only one to just drop everything to see her.

"Hey, Nat. Sorry it's so late."

"Do not apologize. Is….is he alright?"

"Alfred? Yeah. No changes. I actually wanted to ask a favor."

"I got called back to Canada for an emergency meeting with my boss. Arthur is with Alfred right now, but he and Ivan have a meeting with the G8 tomorrow, and well…we don't want Alfred to be alone."

"You want me to go sit with Alfred?"

"Just while the kids are at school. Just in case he wakes up." Matthew shrugged and smiled at her. "He'd rather you be the first thing he sees when he comes out of this anyway."

"I will go, Matthew. Is there any hope of him waking up?"

"We still don't know. He'll be okay though. He will. He's Alfred."

Natalya hummed in agreement.

"He's going to hate everything he's missed." Matthew looked around the room, with the walls covered in pictures of the twins. "I'm sorry we didn't find him sooner."

"He is the idiot that got captured." Natalya turned away, her eyes falling on the table with the papers that might just become her undoing. "Matthew, do you by chance know what schools Alfred might have sent a child to?"

"World Academy," Matthew replied, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"World… no that can't be right. There is no…World Academy. It would be in here." Natalya shuffled through the papers.

"It's not really…that open. It's kind of a special school. Alfred helped found it. They don't have a preschool, I think Al was working on it before… Anyway, it's an elementary, middle, and high school for top students. It accepts international students too. It was kind of Alfred's secret project. I can get you an application. I just got some for special students in Canada actually. They would probably kill to have Alfred's kids in school there."

"Alfred never told me…"

"He didn't talk about it much with anyone really. I only knew because I ran into him there and he spilled everything. Not even Arthur knows."

"I'm his wife and he did not tell me."

"Eh…" Canada shifted awkwardly. "He didn't tell anyone, Nat. He might've been a loud mouth, but Alfred had his secrets. Anyway, everyone think he's an idiot. So who would have thought he started a special school?"

Natalya frowned. "That doesn't explain why he kept it from me."

"I'm sure he would've told you..." Matthew shrugged. "I hate to leave but I have to get back home. We'll all be back as soon as we can."

"I know."

"Alfred will wake up soon. I just know it. And I'm his twin, so I know these things."

"If you are going to try the twin telepathy claim, the twins already beat you to it."

"It works though, eh?" Canada smiled.

* * *

She wasn't typically one to tire easily, but Natalya was quickly beginning to dislike standing in a hospital room so long. Her eyes seemed drawn to the chair beside the bed, where the others would always sit. Normally they would spend their time talking about useless nonsense as if Alfred was aware and conversing with them.

But even Natalya had to admit, his condition had greatly improve since he had returned home. Most of the paleness had returned to his more lively tan. The nurses had washed up his hair, and even his trademark curl had more of its shape as the days passed. There was no question that he was improving, but the man would still not wake up.

There had been some instances that they believed he would. Francis had mentioned hearing the young man mumbling one evening. On another day, Matthew swore Alfred clenched his hand into a fist, but by the time he was able to find the doctor said hand had relaxed back into its previous position. Even Arthur had noted the slight flutter of his eyelids every once in a while, and he had even gone as far as to claim Alfred had fully opened his eyes just a few days before.

"This is stupid," she muttered, giving in to temptation and moving to the seat.

She sat quietly for a moment and continued to stare at her shoes as she began to speak. "You're an idiot. You don't pay attention when you're awake, but the doctors say you might be able to hear us."

As expected, she received no response.

"I had twins you know. You promised to be back before the baby was born. Do you have any idea what a handful one child is, let alone two? They are almost five…you've been gone for more than five years, Alfred…and now you're just lazing around like the…useless unheroic idiot you are."

She finally looked up at him.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is when children start questioning who their father is? When all they know of you is pictures and stories from the rest of us? Amelia is just like you, you know. She tries to play hero and gets into trouble. Nikolai is better behaved, but he still wants to be just like you. He is very smart though, so I am sure he will outgrow that." Natalya smiled. "The sooner you wake up the sooner we can be a family."

For a while Natalya continued this way, uncharacteristically rambling various things. Mostly she described the children, the trouble the pair got into and all the ways they reminded her of their father.

She paused to take a break, leaning forward as she realized his eyelids flutter slightly. She reached over to brush a few stray strands of hair from his face. Without thought she moved to sit on the edge of the bed, gently caressing his cheek.

"You are not cold anymore. They said you were cold…like death. Alfred, come back to me."

Natalya suppressed a scream as a hand shot out of the covers to grab her wrist. She stared at Alfred, who otherwise remained unmoving. After a moment his grip loosened and Natalya caught his hand in hers. His eyes began to slowly open. He stared blankly for a moment then shifted his gaze to their intertwined hands.

"Alfred, can you hear me?"

Her question was met with silence, but he slowly looked up at her. Natalya frowned as dull blue eyes stared back at her.

"Mr. Jones is awake," the nurse realized, having just walked in. She immediately turned on her heel to rush to inform the doctor.

"Alfred?" Natalya repeated.

"'t's'you," he mumbled. "Angel."

Natalya smiled. "We were so worried. I thought you would never come home."

Alfred frowned in confusion.

"Alfred, are you really awake?"

"Who…who are you?"


End file.
